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Engineering An Empire

ENGINEERING AN EMPIRE, focusing on the architectural triumphs of other great civilizations. The series launches with episodes GREECE, GREECE: AGE OF ALEXANDER, THE AZTECS and episodes on the Mayans, Chinese, Russians, Carthaginians, Persians, and Byzantines as well as on Great Britain, the Renaissance: Age of Architects and Napoleon's Empire. Similar in format and structure to the special, each of the programs will use the society's engineering accomplishments as a prism through which to view its history and culture.

The Byzantines

After the fall of Rome, one civilization shone brilliantly: the Byzantine Empire. With ruthless might and supreme talent, the Byzantines ruled over swaths of Europe and Asia for more than a thousand years.

The Persians

One of the most mysterious major civilizations, Persia became an empire under the Achaemenid king who created a policy of religious and cultural tolerance that became the hallmark of Persian rule.

Greece: Age Of Alexander

The Parthenon is complete. The crowning achievement of a remarkable century for the Greek people. It would take one man's desire for conquest and domination to unify Greece and then vanquish the world.

The Aztecs

The story of the Aztec empire is wrapped in myth and legend. In less than 200 years they transformed themselves from a band of wandering nomads to the greatest civilization the New World had ever known.

The Maya

The Ancient Maya - at the height of its glory, this mysterious civilization ruled a territory of 125,000 square miles across parts of Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Belize.

Russia

At the height of its power the Russian empire stretched across 15 times zones, incorporated nearly 160 different ethnicities, and made up one sixth of the entire world's landmass.

Carthage

At the end of the seventh century B.C., Carthage soon grew into one of greatest civilizations of the Ancient World - a remarkable city-state that dominated the Mediterranean for nearly 600 years.

Great Britain

At its pinnacle, the British empire covered one quarter of the Earth's land mass. Through the centuries, the rulers used extraordinary engineering feats to become an industrial and military titan.

Da Vinci's World

It wasn't until the 11th century when Italy reawakened. Autonomous city-states emerged and began to revitalize their cities and build on a massive level not witnessed since the rise of the Rome.

Napoleon: Steel Monster

France built brilliantly innovative, widely influential masterpieces that have given the world some of its greatest feats of engineering which includes the massive and majestic Notre Dame de Paris.